Conduct a Website Content Audit

A content audit is a systematic review of the content on your website. It can help you identify information that is outdated, inaccurate, duplicated, difficult to find or no longer needed.

Use the steps below to create an inventory, evaluate each page and develop a plan for improving your content.

Before You Begin

Determine the purpose and scope of your audit. For example, you may want to:

  • Review the entire website.
  • Prepare for a redesign or site update.
  • Identify outdated or unnecessary content.
  • Improve navigation and organization.
  • Check content for accuracy, accessibility and usability.
  • Assign responsibility for maintaining different sections of the site.

Identify anyone who should help review or approve the content. This may include subject matter experts, department leadership or other Web Content Editors.

Create a spreadsheet to track your findings. Suggested columns include:

  • Page title
  • URL
  • Published or unpublished
  • Section or content type
  • Content owner
  • Last reviewed
  • Recommended action
  • Priority
  • Notes
  • Assigned to
  • Completion date

Use consistent choices in the Recommended Action column, such as:

  • Keep
  • Update
  • Consolidate
  • Unpublish or remove
  • Create

Step 1: Create a Content Inventory

A content inventory is a list of the pages and other content that need to be reviewed. Use the following sources to build the most complete inventory possible.

Review the XML Sitemap

Visit your website’s XML sitemap by adding "/sitemap.xml" to the domain:

yoursite.tulane.edu/sitemap.xml

The sitemap provides a list of published pages that are available to search engines. Add these URLs to your audit spreadsheet.

The sitemap is a useful starting point, but it may not include every item you need to review. For example, unpublished content and some types of published content may not appear in the sitemap.

Review the DubBot Page Inventory

Log in to DubBot and select the "Pages" link from the Site Overview box on your Site Dashboard. The Pages link is located underneath the "Overall Site Score" metric and will indicate how many pages DubBot found during the last scan of your site. For example, "37 Pages".

Use the export function to download the list of pages from DubBot and add any new URLs to your audit spreadsheet. DubBot only reports pages found during the most recent scan, so additional content may need to be reviewed.

DubBot can help identify pages with a higher number of accessibility issues or quality assurance errors and prioritize content updates.

Review the Drupal Content List

Log in to Drupal and select Content from the administrative toolbar.

The Content list includes content managed within Drupal, including published and unpublished items. Use the available filters to narrow the list:

  1. Enter part of a page title in the Title field to find a specific item.
  2. Select a Content type to review similar content together.
  3. Use the Published status filter to view published or unpublished content.
  4. Select Filter to apply your choices.
  5. Clear or reset the filters before beginning another search.

Review both published and unpublished content. An unpublished page may be a draft that is still needed, an older page that was replaced or content that can be permanently removed.

Depending on the site, the Content list may also contain items that do not function as standard webpages. Include items relevant to your audit and note their content type in your spreadsheet.

Review the Primary Navigation

Navigation should also be reviewed as part of the audit. It shows how visitors are expected to move through the site, but it may not include every published page.

Users with Administrator access can view the navigation structure by selecting: Structure > Menus > Primary Navigation

Review the Primary Navigation for:

  • Links to outdated or unnecessary pages
  • Important pages that are difficult to find
  • Duplicate or overlapping menu items
  • Labels that are unclear or inconsistent
  • Pages placed in the wrong section
  • Disabled menu items that should be reviewed

Only users with Administrator access can manage menus. If you are not an Administrator, review the navigation on the public website and work with your Site Owner or site Administrator on any recommended changes.

Step 2: Review Each Page

Open each page listed in your inventory and evaluate it from the visitor’s perspective. Focus on whether the page is useful, accurate, clear and easy to act on.

Purpose and Audience

Consider:

  • Does the page have a clear purpose?
  • Is the intended audience clear?
  • Does it answer the questions visitors are likely to have?
  • Does it support a current university, school or department goal?
  • Is this information still needed?

Accuracy and Completeness

Check that:

  • Names, titles, dates and contact information are correct.
  • Programs, services, policies and procedures are current.
  • Deadlines and time-sensitive information have been updated.
  • The page includes the information visitors need.
  • Statements and statistics are supported by current sources when appropriate.

Consult the appropriate subject matter expert if you cannot verify the information yourself.

Writing and Organization

Check that:

  • The page title clearly describes the content.
  • The most important information appears near the beginning.
  • Headings organize the page into meaningful sections.
  • Paragraphs and sentences are concise and easy to understand.
  • Lists are used where they make information easier to scan.
  • Link text describes where the link leads.
  • Calls to action and next steps are clear.
  • Terminology, capitalization and style are consistent.

Duplication and Overlap

Look for pages that cover the same or closely related information. Consider whether visitors would benefit from combining the content into one authoritative page.

If similar information must appear in more than one place, identify which office or page is the primary source and link to it instead of maintaining duplicate versions whenever possible.

Links, Documents and Media

Review all links, documents, images and embedded media:

  • Confirm that internal and external links work and lead to the intended destination.
  • Replace links to outdated pages or documents.
  • Remove documents that are no longer needed.
  • Confirm that downloadable files are current and accessible.
  • Make sure images have appropriate alternative text.
  • Remove images or videos that no longer support the page’s purpose.

DubBot can help identify issues such as broken links and possible spelling errors. Automated reports are a useful starting point, but each issue should still be reviewed in context.

Accessibility and Usability

Ensure your content is accessible by checking that:

  • Headings follow a logical hierarchy.
  • Links use meaningful text rather than phrases such as “click here.”
  • Images include appropriate alternative text.
  • Tables are used only for tabular data and include the necessary headers.
  • Videos include accurate captions and transcripts when required.
  • Content does not rely only on color, position or visual appearance to communicate meaning.
  • The page is understandable when viewed on a mobile device.

Step 3: Assign an Action to Each Page

Record one recommended action for every page in your spreadsheet.

Keep

The page is accurate, useful and well organized. Only minor corrections, if any, are needed.

Update

The page is still needed but requires revisions. Record the specific changes needed rather than using a general note such as “needs updating.”

Consolidate

The content overlaps with another page and should be combined into one authoritative resource. Identify which page should remain and where the combined content will live.

Unpublish or Remove

The content is outdated, unnecessary or no longer supports a current user need. Before removing it, determine whether:

  • Another page should replace it.
  • A redirect is needed.
  • Other pages or menus link to it.
  • It has historical, legal or records-retention value.
  • A subject matter expert or department leader must approve its removal.

Do not remove a page solely because it receives limited traffic. Some pages serve a small but important audience or provide required information.

Create

The audit identifies missing information that should be added to the site. Record the intended audience, purpose and proposed location for the new content.

Step 4: Prioritize and Complete the Work

After reviewing all content, prioritize the recommended actions. Address high-risk and high-impact issues first, including:

  1. Inaccurate policy, safety, compliance or contact information
  2. Accessibility barriers
  3. Broken links or missing information that prevents users from completing an important task
  4. Outdated high-visibility pages
  5. Duplicate or poorly organized content
  6. Minor writing, formatting and consistency improvements

Assign each action to a specific person and establish a target completion date. For a larger set of revisions, divide the work into manageable sections or phases. Be sure to prepare your content before adding or updating pages in Drupal.

If a page will be consolidated or removed, coordinate any necessary redirects and update links from other pages and navigation menus. Unpublishing a page without reviewing links to it may result in broken links or prevent visitors from finding replacement information.

Step 5: Review the Site After Updates

After completing the revisions:

  • Test updated pages and links.
  • Confirm that navigation changes work as expected.
  • Review the site on desktop and mobile devices.
  • Check that removed pages have appropriate redirects when needed.
  • Confirm that important content remains easy to find.
  • Run or review DubBot reports for remaining issues.
  • Record the completion or review date in your audit spreadsheet.

Maintain Your Content

A content audit should lead to an ongoing maintenance process. After the initial audit:

  • Assign an owner to each major section of the site.
  • Add a last-reviewed or next-review date to your inventory.
  • Review time-sensitive content before important deadlines.
  • Conduct periodic checks of high-traffic and high-priority pages.
  • Complete a broader site review at least once a year or whenever the site undergoes a significant change.

Maintaining content throughout the year makes future audits faster and helps ensure that visitors can consistently find accurate, accessible and useful information.